41:39

وَمِنۡ ءَايَٰتِهِۦٓ أَنَّكَ تَرَى ٱلۡأَرۡضَ خَٰشِعَةٗ فَإِذَآ أَنزَلۡنَا عَلَيۡهَا ٱلۡمَآءَ ٱهۡتَزَّتۡ وَرَبَتۡۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِيٓ أَحۡيَاهَا لَمُحۡيِ ٱلۡمَوۡتَىٰٓۚ إِنَّهُۥ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيۡءٖ قَدِيرٌ

Wamin ayatihi annaka tara alarda khashiAAatan faitha anzalna AAalayha almaa ihtazzat warabat inna allathee ahyaha lamuhyee almawta innahu AAala kulli shayin qadeerun

And of His signs is that you see the earth stilled, but when We send down upon it rain, it quivers and grows. Indeed, He who has given it life is the Giver of Life to the dead. Indeed, He is over all things competent.

Word by word
  1. وَمِنۡAnd among
  2. ءَايَٰتِهِۦٓHis Signs
  3. أَنَّكَ(is) that you
  4. تَرَىsee
  5. ٱلۡأَرۡضَthe earth
  6. خَٰشِعَةٗbarren
  7. فَإِذَآbut when
  8. أَنزَلۡنَاWe send down
  9. عَلَيۡهَاupon it
  10. ٱلۡمَآءَwater
  11. ٱهۡتَزَّتۡit is stirred (to life)
  12. وَرَبَتۡۚand grows
  13. إِنَّIndeed
  14. ٱلَّذِيٓthe One Who
  15. أَحۡيَاهَاgives it life
  16. لَمُحۡيِ(is) surely the Giver of life
  17. ٱلۡمَوۡتَىٰٓۚ(to) the dead
  18. إِنَّهُۥIndeed,He
  19. عَلَىٰ(is) on
  20. كُلِّevery
  21. شَيۡءٖthing
  22. قَدِيرٌAll-Powerful
Fussilat · 41:39Makkah

Dead earth stirs with rain, and so will the dead.

A sign of resurrection outside your window


The sign
barren earthnothing growing
rain falls
it stirs and growscrops and fruit
so too
the deadbrought to life
What looks final
dead is dead
He gives lifeHe is able for all

Ibn Kathir says this is a sign of His ability to bring the dead back to life. The earth is lifeless, then rain comes and it brings forth crops and fruit. The Quraysh doubted resurrection. The answer was in their own fields after rain.

A dry patch of grass by the bus stop turns green after a week of rain. A plant you forgot on the windowsill sprouts again. Your heart can be like that too. What looks dead is not beyond Him.

Some things in me are too far gone to come back to life.

The One who revives dead earth revives the dead, and He can revive a hardened heart.

Try this

Water a plant today, and make dua for one part of your life that feels dry.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 41:37)

And from among His signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. Do not prostrate yourselves to the sun nor to the moon, but prostrate yourselves to Allah Who created them, if you worship Him (37)But if they are too proud, then there are those who are with your Lord glorify Him night and day, and never are they tired (38)And among His signs; that you see the earth barren, but when We send down water to it, it is stirred to life and growth. Verily, He Who gives it life, surely is able to give life to the dead. Indeed He is Able to do all things (39)

From among the Signs of Allah

Here Allah reminds His Creation of His power, and that He is the One Who has no equal, and He is Able to do all things. Allah's saying;

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ اللَّيْلُ وَالنَّهَارُ وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ ۚ 

(And from among His signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon.) means, He created the night with its darkness and the day with its light, and they alternate without ceasing. And He created the sun with its shining light, and the moon with its reflected light. and He allotted their stages and gave them separate orbits in the heavens, so that by the variations in their movements man may know the stages of night and day, of weeks, months and years, and time periods related to people's rights, acts of worship and various transactions. Moreover, because the sun and moon are the most beautiful of the heavenly bodies that can be seen in both the upper and lower realms, Allah points out that they are created entities which are in a state of enthrallment to Him, subject to His dominion and control. So He says:

لَا تَسْجُدُوا لِلشَّمْسِ وَلَا لِلْقَمَرِ وَاسْجُدُوا لِلَّهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَهُنَّ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ 

(Do not prostrate yourselves to the sun nor to the moon, but prostrate yourselves to Allah Who created them, if you (really) worship Him.) meaning, 'do not associate anything in worship with Him, for your worship of Him will be of no benefit to you if you worship others alongside Him, because He does not forgive the association of others in worship with Him.' He says:

فَإِنِ اسْتَكْبَرُوا 

(But if they are too proud,) i.e., to worship Him Alone, and they insist on associating others with Him,

 فَالَّذِينَ عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ

(then there are those who are with your Lord) i.e., the angels,

يُسَبِّحُونَ لَهُ بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَهُمْ لَا يَسْأَمُونَ ۩

(glorify Him night and day, and never are they tired.) This is like the Ayah:

 فَإِنْ يَكْفُرْ بِهَا هَٰؤُلَاءِ فَقَدْ وَكَّلْنَا بِهَا قَوْمًا لَيْسُوا بِهَا بِكَافِرِينَ

(But if these disbelieve therein, then, indeed We have entrusted it to a people who are not disbelievers therein.)(6:89).

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ

(And among His signs) means, signs of His ability to bring the dead back to life.

 أَنَّكَ تَرَى الْأَرْضَ خَاشِعَةً

(that you see the earth barren,) means, lifeless, with nothing growing in it; it is dead.

فَإِذَا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْهَا الْمَاءَ اهْتَزَّتْ وَرَبَتْ

(but when We send down water (rain) to it, it is stirred to life and growth.) means, it brings forth all kinds of crops and fruits.

إِنَّ الَّذِي أَحْيَاهَا لَمُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ ۚ إِنَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

(Verily, He Who gives it life, surely is able to give life to the dead. Indeed He is Able to do all things.)